Tips On How To Protect Yourself From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Often referred to as invisible disability, hearing loss is becoming more popular than ever before. According to research studies, over 48 million (approximately 20% of the American population) suffers from one form of hearing loss.

Age and genetics are often the main causes of hearing loss but now studies show that exposure to excessive noise is quickly overtaking them. When you are exposed to excessive noise, you suffer from noise-induced hearing loss. You should note that the condition affects almost everyone regardless of their age and genetic makeup.

You can’t fight the natural causes of hearing loss (age and genetics) but you can fight noise. Here are some of the ways in which you can prevent the condition from coming about:

Stay away from loud noises

For you to avoid malaria you should stay away from mosquitoes. The same thing applies if you want to avoid noise-induced hearing loss—you should stay away from noise. You are said to be in loud noise if:

You have to raise your voice to talk to other people

You can’t hear what other people are saying

The noise is hurting your ears

You have ringing in your ears after you get away from the noise

Noise levels are measured in decibels and the higher they are, the more compromised your hearing is. Any noise that is above 85 dB is harmful to your ears, especially when you are exposed to it for a long time.

Watch how you listen to your music

Most people put on earphone and headphones and play the music in the highest volume possible. While you might be enjoying your music, you might be damaging your hearing. Do you want to protect your hearing? Do the following:

Always use noise-canceling headphones or earphones especially when listening to music in noisy areas. Many people tend to increase the volume of their devices whenever they can’t hear the music. This shouldn’t be you.

When listening to the music, turn the volume just high enough so that you can hear the music comfortably, but not higher.

You should never listen to the music any more than 60% of the maximum volume. For you to have an easy time keeping check of the volume, buy a device that has settings that will allow you to automatically set the maximum volume.

The length at which you listen to music has a great impact on the health of your ears. To protect your hearing, never use the headphones or earphones for more than an hour at any given time. If you have to keep on listening to the music, always take a break of at least 5 minutes then put the devices on.

Protect your hearing during parties

Parties are fun events and you are in great mood. The unfortunate thing is that you are most likely hurting your hearing when you are having fun with your friends.

When you are attending gigs, nightclubs, or sports events, you should protect your hearing at all times. When you are in the club:

Stay away from the speakers

Walk away from the club at least every 15 minutes

After you are out of the club, don’t attend another gig immediately. Give yourself at least 18 hours for your hearing to recover after exposure to the loud noise.

If you are comfortable with it, consider wearing earplugs. There are plenty of them in the market that you can go for. The cool thing is that they are cheap; therefore, you can afford to dispose them once you are done with the gig.

Protect your hearing when working

It’s not only at parties where you can be exposed to loud noise. If you work in a workshop or any other loud place, you are bound to be constantly exposed to a lot of annoying noise. For you to protect your hearing when working you need to:

Switch to using a quieter equipment. For example, you can get a quieter saw or lawnmower

Just like in the club, reduce the duration at which you are exposed to the loud noise. As rule of thumb, ensure that you aren’t exposed to the loud noise for more than one hour.

You should have the necessary hearing protection devices in place all the time. This calls for you to wear earmuffs, earplugs, and any other protection devices you might need for your work.

When buying the protection devices, invest in high-quality pieces that will not only give you optimum protection, but also last for a long time.

Undertake regular ear tests

Protecting your hearing isn’t enough—you also need to undertake regular checks. This is to tell when you are having an issue with your hearing. When you are tested early enough, you are able to pick the problem when it’s at its initial stages which makes it easy to fix.

You should have your hearing checked regularly (at least once a year) if you are a musician, handyman, or you work in areas where you are constantly exposed to a lot of noise.

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